Does Your Project Have Value?

Are you working on a project that has diminished in value? Does your project seem like it would have been a good idea if it was implemented two years ago, two years from now? If you are questioning the value of your project think about these things.

What would happen in your company if the project were cancelled?

Does the project link to your organizations strategic goals and/or objectives?

Does the project have visible support from senior management?

Does the project generate excitement?

Is your organization going to gain efficiencies or be more competitive as a result of successfully completing the project?

Is there lots of negative "buzz" about the project?

I'm sure there are lots of other questions that could be asked when it comes to questioning the value of projects. We need to keep in mind that all projects eventually end. Some end when they are completed successfully, and others are terminated early for a variety of reasons.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you must continually communicate across, up, and down the organization to find out what others are thinking about your project.

If the project manager is the only person in the organization that thinks his or her project has value, then the project manager isn't really thinking.

Does your project still have value? A tough question for certain projects, but one that must be answered on a regular basis.

Project Management - Communicating Change

Think about these questions prior to communicating change to your organization, project team, or stakeholders.


1. Why are we changing things?


Be prepared to address the value of the change to the people impacted by the change


2. What is required for those impacted by the change to do? What needs to be done first, second, etc.?


Outline the steps required to implement the change


3. How will we measure the results of the change? What are the potential impacts?


Prepare ahead of time to address how the team will know if they are successful.


4. Once change is implemented what tools or processes will need to be changed, added, deleted?


What will be impacted and how might these changes be received?


5. What is the benefit of the change (What's in it for me?)


What is the benefit, what is the downside (if any)?  Be honest and let the team know if behavior change is expected

Assumptions vs. Facts

Dr. Lewis Ireland wrote the excellent article below in 2003 talking about the differences between Assumptions and Facts.

Introduction

The difference between an assumption and a fact is often subtle and confusing. Some organizations, and individuals, view assumptions and facts in the same light. This approach causes confusion in managing both the assumptions and facts as well as communicating accurately the situation during planning and execution of projects.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines both words in the context of planning as:

• Assumption – a statement accepted or supposed as true without proof or demonstration.

• Fact – something presented as objectively real or something that has been objectively verified.

Planning a project using the wrong term can convey a different meaning to fact or assumption with catastrophic results. Facts do not change whereas assumptions are typically about a future state that may or may not come true. Listing both facts and assumptions as assumptions can also cause confusion because the project manager does not know which assumptions to track to ensure they are converted to facts.

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